Cisco seeks local talent in new markets

Cisco is looking to emerging economies for new technicians

Cisco is expanding its efforts to hire international workers as part of a larger push to recruit new staff from the some of the fastest growing technology markets.

The company told vnunet.com on Wednesday that it wants to place new employees in the same areas where new infrastructure is being built.

Cisco will focus on areas such as India, China and the Middle East.

"We are hiring people from geographies where we need talent and where talent is not there," said Leo Scrivner, vice president of human resources at Cisco's India operation.

The company hopes that the new technicians will fill a major gap in the tech sector. Scrivner explained that populations and economic development have remained relatively flat in traditional tech markets such as the US and Western Europe.

But regions such as India and the Middle East are faced with a population boom and a demand for new technological infrastructure, making the need for local talent even greater.

The main aim of the programme is to create some 10,000 new technicians with Cisco Certified Networking Associate credentials.

Cisco then hopes to retain the top 20 per cent for further training as Cisco 'professional' technicians, while the others will hopefully go to client and partner firms.

The goal is to create certified technicians not only for Cisco's own operations, but for the greater regional ecosystem as a whole.

"If we are going to accelerate the adoption of advanced technology, we need it for Cisco and we need it for our partners," said Scrivner.